San Diego Comic Con 2012

[Kees_L]

OK, NerdBastards.com have done a much better report on the panel.

I myself hadn't noticed much wrong with the other one frankly. Sounded to be an ace panel, on ace stuffs!

'Though for this "Nerdbastards"-one two things kind of weird me out:

- 1) Why use that particular image for an illustration? Like: Hellboy by Mignola although not quite...

- 2) This is probably my own bad translating, but it sounds almost like Scott Allie having said there might come to be more John Severin Witchfinder story art - but John Severin passed away last year, right?

[grogtheslayer]

The image is by Peter Bergting, done in 2002, maybe for GURPS (Steve Jackson Games). It's a wallpaper that comes up pretty quick on a Google search, so they probably just nabbed it without much thought.

[Middenway]

'Though for this "Nerdbastards"-one two things kind of weird me out:

- 1) Why use that particular image for an illustration? Like: Hellboy by Mignola although not quite...

- 2) This is probably my own bad translating, but it sounds almost like Scott Allie having said there might come to be more John Severin Witchfinder story art - but John Severin passed away last year, right?

I think their notes got jumbled. While this report was better than the Newsarama one (which was done live, which would've been difficult), there's still a lot missing. I'd really like to find a video of the panel.

I'm still crossing my fingers Dark Horse releases some preview art or specific title names and the creative teams attached. It's been a very quiet SDCC!

Yeah, it really has. Maybe they've gotta hide their cards a bit for a while if Return of the Master is going to be such a game-changing arc.

[Middenway]

This is from last year's SDCC...

From SDCC '11:

Scott Allie: We've got one written by a new writer for us that we're gonna announce later. Extremely excited.
Mike Mignola: A real fancy new writer.
SA: Fancy.
MM: Not really new, just new to us.
SA: Not new. New to us. Mostly new to comics, I think.
MM: I can't believe you can afford him.
SA: I can't believe it either.

Then later in Q&A:

QUESTION: The author that you guys can almost not afford, what exactly are they going be writing and what character?
SA: One of the BPRD side projects, and I can't tell you what character, but it's...
MM: Y'know, he won't tell me what character either.
SA: It's a surprise and he's gonna be really excited. But yeah, it will be a side project so Tyler will have his thing going and for a couple of months it'll be another BPRD thing on the side.

10 months later San Diego has come around again and we still don't know what this was about. I feel like maybe they were talking about Cameron Stewart, but he's hardly what you'd describe as "new to comics". Anyone know what this was about?

[Middenway]

Another report, this time from Comic Book Resources.

Allie told the audience that Crook is such a quick artist that Dark Horse is currently considering allowing him to do some creator-owned titles in addition to his "B.P.R.D." work.

That sounds interesting.

One fan asked about the difficulty of tracking "Hellboy" continuity, as the series has never adopted a sequential numbering system on the outside cover. The issues always have numbering the inside of the issues, but once bagged and boarded, it can be difficult to figure out the next book in sequence. However, the numbering system will change with "Hellboy" #100 later this year when "Hellboy" and all of its spin-offs will begin sequential numbering on the front covers. This will help to aid fans in alleviating some confusion.

Obivously they mean BPRD #100, not Hellboy #100, but it is interesting that the ongoing numbering shall be on the front covers now. It makes sense given the massive number of reviews complaining whenever they read a first issue of a miniseries that they don't know what's going on (while also admitting they haven't read BPRD in years). You'd think that having "Hell on Earth" added to the title would be a hint that it is a part of a larger story and not a stand-alone miniseries.

[Kees_L]

Another report, this time from Comic Book Resources.

One fan asked about the difficulty of tracking "Hellboy" continuity, as the series has never adopted a sequential numbering system on the outside cover. The issues always have numbering the inside of the issues, but once bagged and boarded, it can be difficult to figure out the next book in sequence. However, the numbering system will change with "Hellboy" #100 later this year when "Hellboy" and all of its spin-offs will begin sequential numbering on the front covers. This will help to aid fans in alleviating some confusion.

Obivously they mean BPRD #100, not Hellboy #100, but it is interesting that the ongoing numbering shall be on the front covers now. It makes sense given the massive number of reviews complaining whenever they read a first issue of a miniseries that they don't know what's going on (while also admitting they haven't read BPRD in years). You'd think that having "Hell on Earth" added to the title would be a hint that it is a part of a larger story and not a stand-alone miniseries.

I personally am quite amazed that folk would want to see additional numbering on the cover - as if that would be taking any possible confusion away.
Since no books or comics in existence would necessarily be totally adding up as from #1 up to whatever. Not tarzan or Batman or Spider-Man. Since lots of comics belong to separate volumes or runs, or separate sub-titles/-series. Or any mini-series could be such, both as 'not'. Which would simply be making it a thing of taking some effort to be finding out what would be what prior to any making a purchase?
People pulled any of that off without the internet being around even.

All readers would need to do is being to collect a full arc or mini-series and then they could decide whether they would want more. Which would be doable, with or without *inner-front-cover-numbering*, which existed for Hellboy prior to B.P.R.D coming into it as a separate title. As well as most other comics, like Spider-Man or Batman: they all make use of front inner cover numbering information pretty much.

To me the big thing would be that Hellboy and any spinoffs are to consist of mini-series or two-parters or just issues, which would be both readible on their own, as well as next to any others.

And how the interviewer/columnist describes it, future titles would get titled as
"Hellboy In Hell: the Green Mile [not really] 1 of 4 - (overall-numbering) #100", next to which would come to appear
"B.P.R.D.: Return of the Master #3 - #101",
where another immediate title would be #102 andsoforth?
Although some titles might or might not be included, such as another Hellboy flash 'flashback hardback'? Or what about BPRD 1948?

I don't really see how such would not be confusing to anybody potentially not (yet) fully in-the-know?

Maybe download-comics are sort of demanding astute or complete front cover numbering, but. I would wager it most effective and easiest to just check stuff out in sollicitations or either the Dark Horse website prior to making a purchase, because that might just be the best way to ward off confusion or mistakes? Better than "extra numbering" potentially?
Although of course the Dark Horse people should do whatever they'd be considering best I'd reckon. It'll merely be amounting to just numbers anyways .

[Middenway]

Further information...

http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2012/0...-knows-horror/

I like that mention of a Sir Edward Grey story with Jack the Ripper.